This week’s massive tornado in Oklahoma has affected so many people – my family included. Growing up in Nebraska, I am not shocked to see a tornado at least a few times each year, and know what to do when severe weather threatens. However, as I was reviewing some IDF’s in Therap this morning, it brought to mind the importance of having good, quality data that can be accessed whenever something happens. Many people remember (and still have) the big massive notebooks with all individual information. As we move to Therap, we need to remember that the information in Therap is just as important, if not more important, than the information in physical form. Therap should be the system of record, and information should be as complete and accurate as possible. As I looked at some IDF’s this morning that contained only the name and birthdate, it brought concern that in an emergency situation, their Emergency Data Form would be useless. Being a type 1 diabetic myself, I can’t imagine what would happen to me if no one had my information and I was unable to speak.

So, along with fire drills and disaster preparedness, make sure that the information in the IDF for all active Individuals is as complete and accurate as possible – you never know when it may be needed by people other than you!

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